Chapter Four
AIDAN
Whatcha doing?
OLIVER
Better question. What are you wearing?
CARTER
Seriously, Oli? Can you not? I’m sorry, Lila.
TY
Maybe we should leave him home for Lila’s heat.
OLIVER
Uh, fuck, no. You will do no such thing.
I can’t help but giggle as I read the group chat the guys added me to after our night on the beach. The five of us have been talking nonstop for the last two days. Now all I have to do is get through tonight and tomorrow, and then I’ll be able to see them again.
The thought brings a smile to my face. I’m completely gaga over these men, and it’s absolutely ridiculous. But I can’t seem to help myself. How am I supposed to not fall for them when they’re literally everything I could want in partners? Is this too much, too fast? Absolutely, but the heart wants what the heart wants, I guess.
CARTER
Please don’t tell me that Oli scared you off.
AIDAN
I’ll kill him.
TY
We really can leave him at home.
It’s fine. We don’t mind.
OLIVER
Asshole.
LILA
No, he didn’t scare me off. I understand that Oliver talks without thinking.
OLIVER
Ouch.
I laugh as I settle back on my couch. I see that they’re typing, biting my lip as I wait for a response. Or at least I am until my screen changes and my mom’s face appears on the screen.
Nope. Uh uh. I am not in the mood to talk to her, but I also know if I don’t answer, she’ll just keep calling until I do.
I take a deep breath to steady myself before picking it up. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, Lila.” My mom is quiet for a moment. “I just wanted to check to make sure that those boys are still planning to help you with your heat, because if not, I know some—“
“Yes, Mom. They’re still planning to take part in my heat. I don’t need you to introduce me to any other men. I have this covered.”
She sighs, her irritation crystal clear. “I don’t know why you feel the need to talk to me with that tone of voice. I’m just looking out for you. ”
“I know you are, Mom, and thank you. It’s just been a long day.”
“Oh?” She hums. “What happened? I know it isn’t because of work since you’re off just like the rest of us.”
I roll my eyes, hating how my mom feels the need to know everything about what’s going on in my life. As soon as the thought runs through my mind, guilt rushes through me. I don’t know when I lost all patience for my mom, but I know it isn’t fair to her. I know she loves me and that she just wants to make sure I’m taken care of. She just goes about it in a really annoying way.
But also, she’s not wrong.
As we approach the annual heat, all whale shifters take off two weeks from work and school—even those who aren’t old enough to go into heat or who don’t have a partner going through a heat. It’s why you won’t ever find a business that only has whale shifters working there unless it’s a business that can stand to be shut down for two weeks.
Growing up, I loved the two weeks because I’d go stay with my neighbor during my mom’s heat. She was a mermaid, and we’d go swimming together for hours at a time. I loved it. It was honestly one of the happiest times of my childhood.
“I didn’t sleep well last night. I think my heat symptoms are starting.”
“Oh, darling, I’m sorry. I know the first heat is the hardest—especially since you don’t know exactly what to expect. There’s only so much that can be taught from a textbook. You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do?”
“Of course I will.” I pause. “And thank you.”
Not that there’s much that she can do for me, considering the fact that my biggest issue is I’m just so fucking horny. The wind blew harder than usual while I was outside earlier, and I’d drenched my panties. My skin is hot and uncomfortable. I can barely stand to have clothes on. Right now, I only have on a pair of shorts and a cutoff tank top, leaving as much skin as possible bare. I don’t even have panties on because they were too tight, rubbing against my clit any time I moved. It was just too much.
“You know I love you, right?”
“Yes, Mom, I do. I love you, too.”
My phone dings in my ear before I can say anything else. When I pull it back, I see that it’s Carter calling me. I lift it back to my ear with a frown.
“Hey, Mom, I’m sorry to do this, but I have to go. Carter’s calling me. I need to make sure everything is okay.”
“Of course, darling. Call me if you need anything. I love you.”
“Love you, too.” I switch over to the other call and take a deep breath to settle my nerves. “Hello?”
“Lila, thank goodness.” Carter sighs in what sounds like relief, and I let out a startled laugh.
“Uh, is everything okay?”
Carter is so quiet that I think for a moment that we got disconnected. “This is going to sound really dumb and probably a little much, but you stopped responding to us in the chat, and I was worried that maybe Oliver really had scared you away.”
This time I laugh a full-body laugh. It takes me way too long to get myself under control, and I’m pretty sure I snort a time or two. It’s just so funny to me that this amazing, attractive man is worried that I’ve changed my mind about having them join me for my heat. As if that’s going to happen.
“Sorry,” I finally manage to choke out. “My mom called.”
“Oh, well…I kind of feel like a jackass now. ”
I snort. “No, you’re not a jackalope. It’s kind of sweet that you’re looking forward to it so much, I guess.”
There’s another moment of silence.
“Jackalope?” He snorts. “I’m noticing a trend here. Do you not cuss at all?”
Embarrassment rushes through me for a moment before I realize I have no reason to be embarrassed. “I don’t. I don’t mind when other people do. It’s just a decision I made for myself as a teenager, and I’ve yet to find a reason to change that. It’s just part of who I am, I guess.”
“I like that,” he says softly. “I really do, and I am looking forward to it—not just your heat but seeing you again. We all are. I don’t know if you realize it or not, but we really like you, Lila.”
I can’t help the giggle that spills from my lips. “I really like you all, too.”
“Good.” I can almost hear the smile in his voice. “Well, now that we have that out of the way—I was planning to call you tonight, anyway.”
“Oh?”
He laughs. “Yeah, there’s something we wanted to talk to you about. But also, there are some logistics that we need to discuss—just to make sure that we’re all on the same page. ”
I nod before realizing he can’t see me. “Okay, yeah. Sure. That makes sense.”
“So, we were thinking that maybe we could come over a day early so we have some time together before your heat?”
“As in tomorrow?” I squeak.
“I mean, only if you want to.” He sighs. “There was probably a better way to approach this, but…I don’t know what it is about you, but you just throw me off my game. The pod’s only gone through one heat before, years ago.”
A growl rises in my throat, causing my eyes to go wide as I drop the phone. What in the world was that?
“Are you okay?”
I clear my throat as jealousy rushes through me. “Yeah, sorry. I don’t know what that was.”
“It’s okay. So, like I was saying. We’ve only been through one heat, but afterward, we realized it was mostly a blur. So we thought maybe if we got together a day earlier, we’d be able to fully enjoy the sex.”
“Oh.” My face scrunches up when I realize that I’ve squeaked again. Holy guacamole, I’m a mess. “Yeah, uh … I’d really like that.”
“Good. Good. So would we.”
We’re both silent again and finally, I can’t take it anymore .
“You also said that there were some logistics we should discuss?”
Carter clears his throat. “Yeah, right. I did, didn’t I?” He laughs before continuing, “We wanted to double check about birth control because apparently, it can be hard to remember condoms during heats?”
“Oh, that makes sense. I have an implant, so we don’t need to worry about that.” I pause, thinking back to my doctor’s appointment from last week. “And I got my test results back. I’m clean, so there’s nothing to worry about on that end, either.”
“Us too. We get tested every year, just in case. So yeah…I guess that means that we don’t have to use condoms.”
My body is on fire from this conversation. Just listening to Carter talk would’ve been enough to get me wet, but the fact that we’re sitting here talking about sex? And not using a condom? I’ve never had sex with anyone and not used a condom—even with the implant.
My thighs clench at the thought, my shorts soaked completely through. This heat thing is no joke—that’s for freaking sure. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this needy, this horny, in my life.
“Lila,” Carter’s voice is practically a growl .
“Hmmm?” I murmur.
Carter laughs. “You were whining.”
“I was? This is crazy. I didn’t even realize I was doing it.”
We fall silent again as I chew on my lip. I don’t even know what to do with myself at this point.
“Why don’t I let you go so you can go to sleep?” he finally asks, voice quiet.
Another whimper falls from my lips, unbidden. “Sorry. I just like listening to your voice.”
“Do you want me to stay on the phone until you fall asleep?”
“Would you?”
He chuckles. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”
I hurry to my bed, eyes falling shut as soon as my head hits the pillow, and I fall asleep with Carter’s voice in my ears, anticipation for tomorrow slicing through me.